With all due respect, I believe you are generalizing and glossing over facts in an effort to make flashing the ECU the 'only' way to go.
I have personally removed the secondary 'flies from quite a few C-14's and ZX 14s successfully and not one of them proved to be difficult or tricky in any way. In fact, I have never heated the screws or felt the need to do so; merely using the correct driver and providing sufficient down- pressure (but not so much that it bends the throttle rod... sheesh!) is more than sufficient to simply remove the screws.
There should be no lost screws in removing the flies on a C-14 (or ZX 14 or any similar motorcycle). The upper or secondary butterflies are located over the primary butterflies, which are fully closed for the entire procedure. So even if one drops a screw (or seven screws), no big deal- just pick them up off the lower 'flies.
There is no splicing involved with a Power Commander- it is 'plug 'n play' and depending on where purchased, it has a map already loaded and is ready to go.
Fiddling- not sure what 'fiddling' you speak of but there is none that I am aware of.
You clearly have a preference for the (I believe) one item you have tried. A common human situation but I feel compelled to point this out- choosing a favorite method without any actual experience to compare it with is.... well, pretty much useless. Like trying exactly one bottle of wine and then pronouncing it wonderful, especially compared with other drinks, and clearly the best choice. I have personally ridden many miles on a C-14 with a PC III and a custom (my own) map and with the 'flies removed. I very much like it and would not hesitate to do it again, although of course with a PC V as a PC III will not work on a gen. 2 C-14. I have also ridden C-14's with both Shoodaben (sp?) and Ivan's and found them to be good, with a distinct nod toward Ivan's but am not convinced it is better than a re-mapped and 'flies- removed C-14. I would agree it is the easier way but that certainly does not make it, or anything else in life, the 'best' way to go. In the end, I probably will go with an Ivan re-flash and if I find it lacking, will probably grab a system that allows charting the mixture in real- time and re-flashing the ECU on my own. More expensive but tailored for the use in mind.
I honestly hope this critique is taken in the manner meant, which is the free and honest exchange of ideas rather than any type of conflict, which is certainly not my intention. That said, our ideas may conflict but we personally do not have to.
As to the second part of your post, well the 'best looking' is purely a matter of personal preference. I prefer the looks of the first generation C-14 and especially do not care for the sweeping arc of the mid- fairings of the second generation C-14 fairings. To clarify, I do not despise them or there would not be a gen. 2 C-14 sitting in my garage at this moment :-) If I truly disliked the looks of a second Gen. C-14, there would almost certainly be a K1600 BMW sitting there instead.... which I both like the looks of and really (read: really, really, really!!!!!) like the idea of an inline six engine in a motorcycle. So while I do not find the second Gen. C-14 to be ugly in any way, I do prefer the lines and many of the features (central glove box, no wiring in the upper fairing covers, lower mirrors, and several other aspects) of the gen. 1 C-14. Of course I readily acknowledge that the second Gen. C-14's do a much better job of managing heat as felt by the rider(s) but would still prefer the sharper, angular and straight fairing lines of the early C-14s.
Back to the subject at hand, a front fender extender is the winner in the first farkle ordered contest :-) Today will include a Rostra CC and keypad, a pair of handlebar risers and perhaps a set of hand air deflectors if I can find any suitable. I have two sets for the '08 and greatly prefer the Baker hand wings but they do not seem to be available for Gen. 2 C-14's anymore. The plan is to swap the Buell footpegs, the Calsci windshield (and MRA visor) as the stock '16 windshield is far, far too short, the Starcom1 comm. system, the dual- purpose taillight (yellow turn signals integrated into the tail lights), the GPS mounts, and a handful of other trinkets from the '08. Then all kinds of little things such as the BMW sport grips I really liked on the '08. Then the roar will slow to a trickle of little things such as the webbing in the saddlebags, a fantastic but foolishly simple thing.
Brian
Life is short. Just flash it. Instant results, zero work, better results that can be had any other way. No lost screws. No splicing into pristine harnesses. No fiddling. Nothing to later fail. 'Just dew it' and be done with it! Trust me, you will be glad you did.
They are much nicer looking and much more air-management-efficient than gen 1 fairings. But they are, indeed, a pain in the ass to remove and install. 10 times worse if you have Canyons installed. And yes, I have broken a few tabs- I think it is impossible not to. Fortunately, the tabs don't seem to matter as much as I thought (at least the few I ruined).